Man convicted in assault on security guard who later died

Published 7:00 pm, Monday, June 2, 2008

A federal jury convicted an El Paso man Tuesday of assaulting an international bridge security guard who later died, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Pablo Aragon, 29, was convicted of two counts of assault causing serious bodily injury and one count of assault causing bodily injury for the New Year's Day fight with 58-year-old Cruz Vite.

Investigators said Aragon punched Vite several times during a confrontation at a pedestrian toll booth at the Paso Del Norte bridge, connecting El Paso with Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Vite later died of a heart attack at a local hospital.

The El Paso County medical examiner ruled Vite's death a homicide, saying that the fight triggered the fatal heart attack.

Aragon, who has been free on bail, was not charged with Vite's death.

When he is sentenced later this year, Aragon could face five to 99 years in prison, prosecutors said.